Method and apparatus for comparing oils



y ,3937. M. B. JESTER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPARING OILS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1936 /NVENT7/1'-' MAX WEL z. ,5. J55 ER.

14/5 A TT/7EWEX Patented July 13, 1937 V STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COIWPAR- ING OILS Maxwell B. Jester, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Calumet Refining Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 1, 1936, Serial No. 82,838

6 Claims. (Cl. 265-11) This invention relates to a method and apparticular apparatus comprises an elongate base paratus for comparing the characteristics of oils I having at its ends upright standards 2. The and the like and more particularly for visually base is of narrow width and is provided at its demonstrating the differences in the characterislower side with supporting members 3 pivotally 5 tics of the two or more oils. connected thereto, so that they may be moved 5 For the purpose of determining certain charinto positions parallel with and beneath the base acteristics of an oil, such as a lubricating oil, it or into positions in which they will extend transmay be divided into a seriesof cuts byfractionversely to the base, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus ating the oil into its component parts in what is support the same in an upright position.

known as a fractionating still. In the best grades Mounted on the standards 2 is a frame adapted 10 of oil the cuts will be very narrow or finely dito carry the tubes. In the present construction vided and there would be an absence of decomthis frame is rectangular in form and is arranged position products and of light and heavy ends, between the standards, the end members 4 of the that is, each cut will have a relatively narrow frame being pivotally mounted on the standards range of viscosity. In lower grades of oil the cuts by means of pivot pins 5. Mounted in this frame 15 will have light and heavy ends, that is, light visare two sets of elongate transparent tubes 6 and cosity at one end and heavy viscosity at the l, the ends of which are mounted in the upper other end and there will be products of decomand lower members 8 and 9 of the frame, the two position at both ends. sets of tubes being preferably separated by a One object of the invention is to provide a frame member in. The tubes are sealed at both method of comparing the cuts of two or more oils ends and may be mounted on the frame in any to visually demonstrate the difference in the suitable manner. As here shown, one of the characteristics thereof. longitudinal frame members, 8, is provided with a A further object of the invention is to provide series of sockets II to receive the adjacent ends such a method of comparison which will not be of the tubes. The other frame member, 9, is in 25 confined to the laboratory but may be made on a two parts, the inner part l2 having a series of simple apparatus at any desired place. ,Openings I3 through which the tubes may be in- A further object of the invention is to provide serted and seated in the sockets II of the other a simple eflicient apparatus with which the differframe member. The outer part I4 of the frame ence in the characteristics of two or more oils member 9 is secured in place after the tubes 30 may be easily determined. have been inserted and closes the openings l3 to A further object of the invention is to provide retain the tubes in place. such an apparatus which will be compact in form Each tube contains oil in such quantity as to and of light weight so that it can be easily transleave within the tube a small air space which, ported from place to place. when the frame is in an upright position, will be 35 Other objects of the invention may appear as at the top of the tube, as shown at 6a in Fig. 3, the method and apparatus are described in deand when the frame is rotated through a half rotail. tation to invert the tubes this air space will be In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front carried to the bottom and the air will rise 40 elevation of an apparatus for carrying out the through the oil in the tubes in the form of 40 method; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on bubbles, as shown at 6b and 1b in Fig. 1. There the line 2-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevation may be any suitable number of these tubes and,

of the apparatus enclosed in a carrying case, with in the present arrangement, there are eleven a portion of the case broken away; and Fig. 4 is a tubes in each set. One tube of each set, the left Se taken on the line of F 3. hand tube in Fig. 1, contains the whole oil while 45 In these drawings I have illustrated one form the other tubes contain different cuts of that oil,

of apparatus by means of which my method may which is preferably fractionated in ten percent be carried out and the essential feature of that fractions. However, some oils are of such a apparatus is two sets of tubes adapted to contain character that they cannot be completely fracoils and a small quantity of air and so mounted tionated in ten percent fractions and under such 50 that they may be inverted to cause the air to rise circumstances the last tube of the set containing through the oil in the several tubes in the form such oil may contain residue and the cut in the of bubbles, the movement of which will be indicaadjacent tube may be less than ten percent. tive of the character of the oil, thus enabling the When the two sets of tubes are simultaneously oil in the two sets of tubes to be compared. This inverted the bubbles will begin to rise in all 5 tubes simultaneously and the speed at which the bubble in each tube rises is dependent upon the.

characteristics of the particular cut of oil in that tube and by comparing the movements of the bubbles in the two sets of tubes the characteristics of the oil may be determined when compared one with the other. Further, this comparison will indicate the characteristic of the cuts and the amount of residue, if any, in the oils.

As shown in Fig. l the tubes have just been inverted and the bubbles have not yet completed their upward movements. It will be noted that the bubbles in the first five cuts, following the whole oil tube, in the left hand set of tubes, have reached the tops of the tubes before any bubble in the cuts of the right hand set of tubes has reached the top of its tube. The-remaining bubbles in the left hand cuts are spaced far apart and unequal distances, while the bubbles in the several cuts of the right hand set of tubes are spaced apart substantially uniform distances, each bubble moving upwardly at a speed only slightly less than the speed of the bubble in the preceding tube, thus clearly indicating that the cuts in the right hand set of tubes are sharply defined and without light'or heavy ends while the cuts in the left hand set of tubes are not so finely distinguished one from the other and their movement is irregular, indicating the presence of light and heavy ends. This movement of the bubbles clearly indicates that the oil in the right hand set of tubes is of a quality superior to that in the left hand set of tubes.

The apparatus as a whole is of narrow width and is very compact in form and of light weight so it can be easily carried from place to place and demonstrations may be made, by salesmen or others, when and where desired. To facilitate the transportation of the apparatus I have shown the same, in Figs. 3 and 4, as removably mounted in a carrying case l5 of a shallow depth and of such proportions as to receive the apparatus when the pivoted supporting members 3 are parallel with the base. The front wall I 6 of this case is removable to permit the insertion and removal of the apparatus and in the arrangement shown the lower edge of that front wall is seated in a groove I! in the bottom wall of the casing and the upper portion of the front wall is provided with studs l8 adapted to engage resilient fastening devices or clips I 9 to secure the front wall to the case, the former being provided with knobs 20 to facilitate its removal.

While I have described my method and have shown and described one, form of an apparatus for performing the same I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to 'the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of visually demonstrating the differences in the characteristics of two oils which comprises fractionating two oils in the same manner to divide each oil into a plurality of cuts each different from the others, sealing the several cuts of the respective oils and small quantities of air in separate sets of parallel transparent tubes, supporting said tubes in upright positions with the air at the top of each tube, simultaneously inverting the two sets of tubes to cause the air therein to rise in the form of bubbles and noting the relative movement of the bubbles in the corresponding tubes of the two sets.

2. In an apparatus for comparing the characteristics of two oils, two series of substantially parallel transparent tubes of substantially the same length and capacity, the tubes of one series containing different fractional cuts of one of said oils and the tubes of the second series containing fractional cuts of the'other of said oils corresponding to the cuts of the first mentioned oil, each tube also containing a bubble of air, and means for supporting said tubes in upright positions and for simultaneously inverting the same to cause said bubbles to move upwardly through the oil in the respective tubes and to indicate by their relative movements the comparative characteristics of the cuts in the corresponding tubes of the two series.

3. In an apparatus for comparing the characteristics of two oils, two series of substantially parallel tubes, one tube of each series containing an unfractionated portion of one of said oils and the other'tubes of said series containing fractionated cuts of thev same oil, and one tube of the second series containing an unfractionatedportion of the other oil and the other tubes of said second series containing fractionated cuts of said other oil corresponding to the cuts in the first mentioned series of tubes, each tube also containing an air bubble, and means for supporting said tubes in upright positions and for simultaneously inverting the same to cause the bubbles to rise through the oil in the respective tubes and to indicate by their relative movements the comparative characteristics of the cuts in'the corresponding tubes of the two series and the relation of the cuts in each series one to the other.

4. In an apparatus for comparing the characteristics of two oils, a frame mounted for movement about a horizontal axis from one vertical position to another vertical position, two series of substantially parallel transparent tubes carried by said frame for movement therewith, the tubes of one series containing different fractional cuts of one oil and the tubes of the second series containing fractional cuts of the second oil corresponding to the cuts in the first series of tubes, and each tube also containing a bubble of air, said tubes being so arranged that the movement of said frame to simultaneously invert the two series of tubes from one vertical position to another vertical position will cause the bubbles of air to rise through the oil in the respective tubes.

5. In an apparatus for comparing two'oils, a'

narrow elongate base, narrow standards at the respective ends of said base, two narrow supporting members connected with the lower side of said base for movements into positions parallel with or transverse to said base, a frame mounted on said standards for movement about a transverse axis, and two series of transparent tubes carried by said frame, the tubes of one series containing different cuts of one oil and the tubes of the other series containing cuts of a second oil corresponding to the cuts in the first series of tubes, each tube also containing a bubble of air, said tubes being supported by said frame in normally upright positions and being movable thereby to inverted positions to cause said bubbles to rise .through the oil in the respective tubes and to indicate by their relative movements the comparative characteristics of the oils in the corresponding tubes of the two series.

6. In an apparatus for comparing two oils, 9. narrow elongate base, narrow standards at the respective ends of said base, two narrow supporting members connected with the lower side of said base for movements into positions parallel with or transverse to said base, a frame mounted on said standards for movement about a transverse axis, and two series of transparent tubes carried by said frame, the tubes of one series containing different cuts of one oil and the tubes of the other series containing cuts of a second oil corresponding to the cuts in the first series of tubes, each tube also containing a bubble of air, said tubes being supported by said frame in normally upright positions and being movable thereby to inverted positions to cause said bubbles to rise through the oil in the respective tubes and to indicate by their relative movements the comparative characteristics of the oils in the corresponding tubes of the two series, a carrying case of shallow depth to receive said base and the parts carried thereby, said case having a removable front wall, one edge of which has interlocking connection with the adjacent edge wall of said case, and fastening devices for connecting the opposite edge of said front wall with said case.

MAXWELL B. J ESTER. 

